Teeing device for golf balls



June 2, 1942. c, MacLEL LAN TEEING DEVICE FOR GOLF BALLS Filed March 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 2, 1942. A. c. MacLELLAN 2,285,342

TEEING DEVICE FORCOLF BALLS Filed March 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 2, 1942 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEEIN G DEVICE FOR GOLF BALLS Alexander 0. MacLellan, Newport, R. 1., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Hugo Key, Newport, R. I.

Application March 16, 1940, Serial No. 324,381

7 Claims. (Cl. 273-33) This invention relates to devices for teeing Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device showing in golf balls, and more particularly to a device for dotted lines the delivery arm in its normal deeasily and quickly teeing a golf ball especially livery position; adapted for use in connection with practice Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the same parts courses although it is, of course, to be understood partly in section showing the complete device that one of these devices might be placed at the V in position to drop a golf ball on to the tee;

driving green adjacent each hole or possibly Fig. 3 is a detail of the hopper and feed arm used in other games. 7 y partly in section, line 3- -3 of Fig. 1;

As is well known to golf players, practice Fig, 4 is a plan view partly in section to show courses are becoming more popular each year, 1:) the feed; and the present device is designed primarily for Fig. 5 shows the base plate partly in section; the purpose of obviating the disagreeable neces- Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the feed arm; sity of teeing each golf ball manually before it Figs. '7, 8 are detail views of certain important is hit, thereby enabling one to drive thirty or parts; I forty golf balls rapidly one after the other al- Referring now to the drawings in detail, and most without changing ones position, thus more particularly to Fig. 1, l0 designates a relagreatly speeding up the time one of the devices tively flat elongated, rectangular base member is in use by any one player. approximately one foot wide and six feet long,

An object of the present invention is to prowith a smooth upper surface except for an actuvide a device which may be easily and quickly go ating pedal II at one end and a hopper I2 with operated to insure a speedy delivery of a golf removable corner at the other adapted to conball into proper position on a tee simply by movtaingolf balls. These parts may be made of ing an operating part by ones foot. y any desired material, but it has been found that A further object is to provide an inexpensive a plastic composition is especially desirable by device of the above character adapted to hold a 1'5 reason of its lightness, relative inexpensiveness, relatively large number of golf balls, positioned and durability under atmospheric condition.

entirely above the surface of the ground and The upper surface of the member N] is reone which may be easily and quickly moved from cessed throughout the major part of its length one place to another or taken in at the end of (Figs. 2 and 5) to about half its thickness and the day. contains a part of the feed actuating mecha- A further object isto provide a simple and nism. practical device of the above general character This recess is covered by a Plate Within made from relatively few parts well adapted to the recess is positioned a rod M to which is atwithstand the hard use to which it is subjected, tached the pedal II at one end and is provided and also to be unaffected by atmospheric conwith an 'L-shap D I5 s ot er end diticm adapted to coact with a pin [6 at the lower end Other objects will be in part obvious from the of a part I! of the feed arm shown in detail in annexed drawings and in part hereinafter. in- Fig. 6. The feed device comprises the cylindrical dicated in connection therewith by the followpart I! preferably open at both ends and coming analysis of this invention. municating with a laterally extending tubular This invention accordingly consists in th arm l8 closed at the extreme end but having an features of construction, combination of parts, outlet opening 20 on its lower side near the outer and in the unique relation of the members and end. This feed arm rotates about a fixed pin in the relative proportioning and disposition or stud 2| Fig. 6. The lower end 22 which fits thereof, all as more completely outlined herein. in a suitable recess in the base plate is supported To enable others skilled in the arts fully to by an integrally formed collar 23. The upper comprehend the underlying features of this inend of this stud is of concave formation in that vention, that they may embody the same by the it has a diagonally disposed transverse curved numerous modifications in structure and relarecess or slot 25. The upwardly extending lip tion contemplated bythe invention, drawings 26 at one side of this pin is parallel with the end depicting apreferred embodiment of the invenof a spiral ee p fl ed in the hopper tion from a part of this disclosure, and in such I2 and slightly to one side thereof. Thus, as drawings like characters of reference denote corthe golf balls roll down the sp path in the respondingparts throughout the several views, in opper, the bottom ball will, when the arm is in h the position shown in Fig. 1 roll parallel to this lip 26 and be arrested on top of the stud by the surrounding sleeve l1. When, however, the feed arm I8 is swung to the dotted line position, Fig. 1 the opening 2'! is then at right angles to its former position at the end of the spiral whereby the balls in the hopper 25 will be prevented from rolling down on to the diagonal surface of the stud by reason of the surrounding sleeve ll.

There is indicated at 3!] a tee preferably made of rubber or similar material which will yield under impact of the driving club if the club fails to connect properly with the ball, thus eliminating breakage of the club and damage to the device.

In operation, the parts are normally as shown in Fig, l, and the player merely straddles the relatively narrow base support It) or may stand at one end thereof. The player then puts his foot upon the pedal II and moves the same towards the hopper I 2 against the action of return spring3l positioned about the actuating rod. [4. Such movement causes the angular part IS on the rod to coact with the pin I6 of the feed arm and rotate the feed arm 90 towards the player or into the position shown in full part thereby to receive and retain the ball. In J the meantime any other balls in the hopper are prevented from rolling down the arm I!) 'by reason of the sleeve l'l surrounding the pivot pin 2| which closes the lower end of the spiral as shown in Fig. 4.

On release of the pedal H the spring 3i expands and returnsthe part to normal position simultaneously swinging the arm l8 backwardly away from the player into the full line position shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the ball 32 upon the tee 30 is ready to be hit. Also, the next ball at the bottom of the spiral path in the hopper rolls through the then registering opening 21 on to the curved top of the stud 2| and is held against rolling down the inclined feed tube I8 by reason Y of the upwardly extending lip 26 which blocks the entrance-to the tube, Fig. 3.

' It will thus be seen that the feed of the balls is almost automatic, requiring merely a forward movement of the pedal II .by the operator, substantially without changing his position. All of the parts are returned automatically to normal position and the ball is ready to be hit. The whole operation requires not more than two or three seconds, and the balls can be driven almost as rapidly as one can properly swing a golf club, thus reducing to a minimum the time of occupancy of' any teeing green by a player. The device is particularly advantageously used in the practice courses one sees so frequently along the roadside. A player can stop and drive fifty or a hundred balls in ten minutes and be on his way allowing the next player to start.

It will thus be seen that the present invention is well adapted to accomplish, among others, all of the objects and advantages herein set forth. The parts are 50 positioned, arranged, and proportioned as to eliminate half holding and release mechanism heretofore required while the ball was actually being teed.

Fig. 8. This ball then freely rolls 2 Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of the invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, a relatively flat rectangular base plate having a hopper at one end with a spiral support therein, an actuating pedal near the opposite end, a feed arm associated with the hopper comprising a stud, a cylindrical portion of the feed arm surrounding the stud, and a downwardly extending lateral projection for transferring the balls from the hopper to the tee, said cylindrical portion of the feed arm having an opening communicating with the end of the spiral path and adapted to block said spiral path when said feed arm is turned to a position to deliver a ball to the tee, and means associated with said stud adapted to prevent more than one ball being fed to the feed arm when said feed arm is in delivering position.

2. A device acording to claim 1, in which said last means includes a lip at the top of said stud effectively closing the outlet passage of the feed arm when the arm is in normal position.

3. In a device of the character described in combination, a base-board having a hopper near one end with a feed outlet means near the other end of the base-board, a movable feed arm including a fixed support relative to which the said feed arm moves, the top of said support being adjacent the feed arm and having a protective lip at one side parallel to the line of roll of the golf balls, said feed arm having a tubular cylindrical portion rotatable about the support and an inlet opening to said cylindrical portion in registry with the outlet of the hopper, a delivery tube between said cylindrical portion and an outlet at its other end adapted to be positioned above a tee when the feed arm is moved from normal position, with the feed passage in said arm in line substantially with the lip at the top of the support whereby a golf ball is free to roll from the top of said support down through the delivery passage to the opening at its outer end on to the 4. In a device of the character described, in combination, a base-board adapted to rest on the surface of the ground having a hopper near one end with means to feed a plurality of golf balls, actuating means near the other end of the base- .board, a pivotally mounted feed arm including a fixed pivot about which the said feed arm rotates, the top of said pivot being adjacent the hopper outlet and having a protective lip at one side parallel to the line of roll of golf balls, said feed arm having a tubular part rotatable about the stud with an inlet opening to said cylindrical portion in registry with the outlet of the hopper, a delivery tube between said cylindrical portion with an outlet near its other end adapted to be positioned above a tee when the feed arm is swung from normal position, with the feed passage in said arm in line substantially with the lip at the top of the pivot whereby a golf ball is free to roll from the top of said pivot down through the delivery passage to the opening at its outer end on to the tee, and means associated with the feed arm for returning the same to normal position when the pedal is released.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a base-board adapted to rest on the surface of the ground having a hopper near one end with a spiral support adapted to feed a plurality of golf balls, an actuating pedal near the other end of the base-board, a pivotally mounted feed arm including a fixed pivot about which the said feed arm rotates, the top of said pivot being adjacent to said spiral feed path and having a protective lip at one side parallel to the line of roll of the golf balls, said feed arm having a tubular cylindrical portion rotatable about the stud and an inlet opening to said cylindrical portion in registry with the outlet of the spiral of the hopper, a delivery tube connected with said cylindrical portion having an outlet at its outer end adapted to be positioned above a tee when the feed arm is swung from normal position, with the feed passage in said arm in line substantially with the lip at the top of the pivot whereby a golf ball is free to roll from the top of said pivot down through the delivery passage to the opening at its outer end on to the tee, and spring means associated with the feed arm for returning the" same to normal position when the pedal is released, the inlet and outlet to and from the tube pivots, a tee centrally located in said base plate over which said feed arm is swung on movement of the pedal to deposit a golf ball on said tee, and means between the hopper and arm effectively to prevent the passage of a ball from one to the other and to assure the feeding of only one ball at each actuation of said pedal, said vertical axis comprising a stud on said plate about which the feed arm is adapted to swing, said stud being provided with means for temporarily supporting a ball when the feed arm is in normal position and allowing said ball to roll off said stud to the tee whensaid feed arm is in delivery position.

7. In a device of the character described, in combination, a base plate adapted to rest upon the ground having a hopper near one end and actuating pedal near the other, a movable feed arm associated with said hopper and having a vertical axis at one end about which the arm pivots, a tee centrally located in said base plate over which said feed arm is swung on movement of the pedal to deposit a golf ball on said tee, and means between the hopper and arm effectively to prevent the passage of a ball from one to the other and to assure the feeding of only one ball at each actuation of said pedal, said vertical axis for said feed arm including a stud about which the feed arm swings, a tubular cylindrical portion on the arm closely fitting about said stud and having an inlet opening, and an outlet through the arm communicating with said cylindrical portion at one end and having a delivery opening at its other end, and means whereby one of the said openings is effectively closed when the other is open.

' ALEXANDER C. MACLELLAN. 

